My Only Child Moved Far Away: What Do I Do Now?

When Tom, my only child, moved to California, I was not thrilled. One of the reasons my former husband and I settled in the Philadelphia area was that so many people who were raised here, stay here.

I know people whose kids go to the same elementary school they did. Some even had a few of the same teachers.

Because I love it here, I assumed that when Tom grew up, he’d stick around. When he married a local girl, this seemed even more likely.

But Tom had other ideas. After graduating from Johns...